


Heiress Breathless

by Chancy_Lurking



Series: Brilliant, Nervous Glory Verse [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Character Death Fix, Character Development, Coming Out, Family Drama, Multi, Neji survives, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-24 12:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4919752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chancy_Lurking/pseuds/Chancy_Lurking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiashi had never been kind, so Hinata can’t be sure why she didn’t expect this.</p><p>(Part of the Brilliant, Nervous Glory Verse, but can be read as a stand-alone.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Still attempted to experiment with reduced dialogue! Let me know what you think!

[Forever is always hypothetical, but they’re still aiming for it.]

 

Neji had spent a significant amount of his time as a member of Team Gai learning to ignore his teammate’s theatrics. He had always thought that they needed someone like him, the levelheaded unyielding one in a circus of emotions. He was supportive, yes, but not to the point of entertaining unnecessary melodrama. His friends had enough of it within them to make up for his lack of if ten times over.

But when he woke up in the hospital after receiving a wound that surely should’ve killed him, he thought maybe he shouldn’t be _quite_ as unyielding. That maybe he could spare the time to participate in a prank war or go clubbing or watch stupid movies and just _play around_ with his friends. Because he didn’t want to have that moment, when he woke up to his friends frantically calling for doctors and hysterically sobbing over him, be his flashbulb memory of the word “loved”. Nor did he want the height of his affection toward them to be when he reached out to brush the tears off Hinata’s face and let Tenten press her forehead to his as he told her not to worry. He refused to let that stand, he wanted something more than that.

Even though he couldn’t change everything he was, the quiet and serious nature of his being, he did try a little more after Sakura let him leave the hospital. He played some training games with Gai and Lee and humored Tenten in her feat to find him a favorite movie and didn’t go through with any of the bodily harm he threatened Naruto with. It was a little surprising how much more peaceful his life could seem in the quiet that fell after getting into some good natured trouble. It made it a little easier to be patient(er, maybe a little) when someone was being pestering or was upset and whining to him about it. Especially when someone was crying, because tears, he found, even happy ones, should be actively acknowledged even if only silently.

So of course when he came home that evening and saw Hinata quietly sobbing over a bouquet of roses, he stopped in his tracks, fully prepared to listen. Honestly, he’d been having a weird day with flowers, too. When he got close enough for her to see the daisies braided into his hair, she looked just as bewildered as he felt.

They didn’t spend much time in each other’s rooms, but today Neji found himself laying with his legs dangling off the side of Hinata’s bed as she lay opposite of him. Her flowers in a vase on her desk and his hair arranged carefully so he wouldn’t crush his.

At first they just lay together, both trying to figure out where to even begin. They figured it out at exactly the same instant apparently, because Neji breathed out a shocked “ _I think I’m in love?_ ” at the same time Hinata whispered “ _I love them so much_.” They were both abruptly yanked out of their own thoughts as soon as it registered what the other had said. They turned to each other, both flushed and shocked, because _that_ hadn’t been where they thought this conversation was going.

There was a moment of confusion where they both started talking at once, but after a moment of back and forth arguing, Hinata finally just reached over and covered Neji’s mouth. Her story was complicated and she needed to know if she’d won her bet with Naruto, who was he talking about?? Though Neji looked less than amused by that, he laid back and started to play with his braids, carefully avoiding the flowers as he considered his words.

He had never imagined he’d be the kind of person to say falling in love was too easy, but then again he’d never really given himself much of a chance. Maybe if he would have been as warm as Hinata growing up, maybe if he’d done more than just _tolerate_ his friends, this would’ve been something he knew how to handle. He would’ve had crushes and been heartbroken and jealous and learned how to deal with all of it. But now, as it was, he’d waited years to just _be_ with people, and he was feeling everything all at once, with almost no clue how to handle it.

Tenten – because of course it was Tenten – had always been there, for years, and had always been important to him. They were teammates and he could think of a dozen times when he felt the sharp fear that he wouldn’t see her again; she was _valued._ For as long as they’d been a true team, he’d cared for her. So he shouldn’t have found it hard to breathe when he thought of her lately, that didn’t make sense. She shouldn’t be _shocking_ to him, he’d learned her piece by piece for more than half his life. And the fact that today she was sad and just wanted to sit and braid his hair shouldn’t have made his chest ache. He shouldn’t have frozen, his heart pounding out of his chest, when she held his face and kissed his forehead, that shouldn’t have made him lose his _voice_ like-…

He stopped when he noticed Hinata staring at him wide-eyed and grinning. He didn’t even notice how blushed he was getting until she pointed it out, giggling excitedly as he tried to cover his face. She was gentle in her ribbing, but it still caught him off guard when she joked with him this way. She seemed genuinely tickled that he was suffering through this, even if she insisted it wasn’t _suffering_ and he was just being _so dramatic_ he could give Lee a run for his money _._ He didn’t even have the time to get annoyed at that because he felt his heart lurch when she claimed she could still see Tenten’s lip-gloss on his face.

This was going to ruin him, he couldn’t keep getting flustered over things like this. Falling in love should not be this easy if just _thinking_ about asking someone out was this hard. How was he supposed to handle _actually_ dating her? Assuming she said yes, and all…

When Hinata just laughed at him softly, he turned to face her, ignoring his own blush. She insisted Tenten was just as into him as he was to her; half their friends would probably bake them a cake when they finally got together. He was going to hold her to that, just for teasing. When neither of them spoke immediately, Neji came back to the other half of that conversation. His eyes drifted over to the roses on her desk.

“ _Am I baking you a cake or beating someone up?_ ”

Though she laughed at that, he waited for her to explain before he decided if he was willing to accept cake as an answer.

Several different times in her life she’d heard someone say that couples that never fought would never be good for each other. That if they never learned to weather the hard times early on, when things got rough later, it would tear them apart. It wasn’t something she paid much mind to until she was actually _in_ a relationship _in_ her first fight. Because her team had disagreed about things before, hell they’d literally physically _fought_ each other before, but yesterday they’d had their first legitimate fight. It started out a silly conversation about their hypothetical children that somehow got twisted around in to the way they were raised. They all had their problems growing up, but they all also loved their families; it was a little jarring to hear negative things about them coming out of the mouths of people you loved. Hinata had never stormed off from them before and couldn’t recall the last time Shino had raised his voice like that. It’d scared her to death because all she could think about was how they’d never fought before and didn’t know how to fix this.

Neji hadn’t seen her yesterday, when she was walking home in shock, too angry and scared to cry. Scared, because regardless of what had been said (and in spite of the fact that a lot of it was true), she could never really stop loving them. She loved them _so much_ that the idea that she could lose this relationship with them was unbearable; they’d spent so much time trying not to gang up on each other, that they’d forgotten to navigate what happened when they were _all_ angry and in the wrong. As it turned out, the answer was to get the hell away from each other before coming back and talking like the adults they were supposed to be.

Absence making the heart grow fonder was probably supposed to be a maxim for couples separated for longer than a day, but hey, they wouldn’t question it. They’d all been unrested and nervous when they finally spoke that afternoon. They had to tell the whole truth because if they lied nothing would work, they knew that. So they talked, found the spots that still hurt and promised to never touch them again without being asked first. Promised that they would always do their best to talk it out, because forever is hypothetical, but they were still aiming for it. They would never give up on each other.

And the more she thought about that, the more she thought about the way they spent the day saying “I love you” and laughing together, the more she realized this was _hers._ This was her relationship to have and protect, and her team had her back and was fighting for it, too. Nobody else could take it away from her and she wasn’t willing to turn it loose. This was all theirs and always theirs; they were in this for the long run.

She felt blessed and Neji could see it in her face.

Of course, there was a part of him that worried; he couldn’t help but think if this didn’t work out that it would go downhill _fast_. But then again, they had always been this way the three of them – the hothead, the stoic, and the softie, one of Konoha’s best teams since they were teenagers. In some odd way, it made perfect sense that they would work as life partners, too. They were the ones who knew each other best, not only as teammates, but as best friends, too.

He had to sigh defeated at that; yeah, it was easy to fall in love with someone you spent the majority of your life caring about. Some of them had just been doomed from the start, hadn’t they? Because the Fourth didn’t put them on these teams so they would all fall in love with each other, but look at the lot of them. He shook his head when Hinata started to laugh out loud at that in earnest.

What an absolute mess this generation was.


	2. Chapter 2

[She held it together until she got to them.]

Hinata never really felt she was meant to be a princess.

Over the years she’d learned to frame her anxiety like it was a kind of courtesy; bowing low, not speaking out of turn, respecting her elders, doing as her father said… She never did any of that with the expectation of achieving any real end, it was just simpler to be quiet. She was left alone, after the years of failed attempts to groom her into the woman Hiashi thought she should be as the leader of the Main Branch. But even as she got stronger, strong enough to be proud of _herself_ , she was never regarded as a leader in the making. She did not bring enough competition to the table. Especially not for Neji, who truly deserved to be the prodigal son, and later for Hannabi, who was always much more audacious than her sister was (even if it was almost to the point of being cheeky). Hinata imagined, many times over, a future where she bowed respectfully and stood aside as the stronger sibling took the role of leader. Or the even stronger cousin finally got his day in the sun.

But Hiashi was nothing if not set in his ways, and was determined to make a leader out of her yet. Apparently by thrusting power upon her as a “birthday present”.

Hinata barely contained her horror, singled out and standing at the forefront of a group of elders, polite smiles in full force. She kept her hands clenched together to quell the shaking, trying to respond with all the grace and appreciation she could fake. It was a trap, it was a horrible manipulative trap and Hinata could hardly think straight through the blind panic that thought caused. Neji met her gaze as she spoke, motionless in his shock, but reading the fear right out of her eyes. She made herself look away lest she feel it too intensely and lose her scantily achieved calm. When she bowed in her thanks, she didn’t let herself shoot a look to her team like she desperately wanted to. This was a house of eyes, always watching, always seeing; it would not do to show more weakness than the sweat on her brow. She breathed deep and tried to hold it together, because she _knew_ them – they wouldn’t if she didn’t.

Because Kiba was _seething_. Standing at the back of the party – invited only because Hiashi viewed them as “ _the team that made her strong when she would’ve otherwise failed_ ” – with Shino clutching his hand urging him to just stay _quiet._ Kurenai’s brow was pinched, though she did at least smile and applaud with the rest of them. She let Kiba have all of her urge to growl and protect her own.

It was long after the party, when Hinata finally managed to rid herself of the people uncomfortably schmoozing and wishing her well while silently expecting a travesty, that Kurenai saw it.

The way Hinata’s whole body hunched, the anxious little girl she’d gotten very good at subduing floating to the surface. She was panicking and _through_ with trying so very hard to stay as strong as she had been with dozens of people watching her. There were tears in her eyes when she fell into Kiba and Shino’s open arms, the two men holding her close and pressing their lips to her hair. Somehow their bodies had gotten more familiar to each other than they use to be. Perhaps having her own child to chase after made her miss the moment when their bodies gained the ability to mold to each other in the way only intimate partners usually did. She’d missed it, she was going soft these days obviously, because she hadn’t seen it _at all_.

Three little love birds. How odd. How nice.

She waited until they separated to place a hand on Hinata’s head, smiling sadly when she turned watery eyes up at her. The fear was still there, but the immediate panic was gone – she even tried to laugh a little. She’d get through this, she always managed to get through when she had to. But tonight seemed like the kind of night to get lost and just try to forget for a while.

Kurenai wasn’t expecting for Hinata’s spine to suddenly snap straight at that, as she stepped out of her boys’ arms schooling her face blank. But then again, she wasn’t ready for Hiashi to suddenly voice his agreement. He standing beside Neji who looked on with the same look of faint discomfort on his face as Hinata. He stayed where he was even as Hiashi walked past them, off to do whatever it was men his age did at this hour.

“ _Enjoy this **last** night of irresponsibility._ ”

He was looking impassively at the clench in Kiba’s jaw as he said it, hardly glancing over Shino’s equally unimpressed gaze. Shino’s nails were yet again digging into Kiba’s palm, but it was Neji’s hand on his shoulder that distracted him long enough to keep him from popping off at the mouth as the Hyuuga patriarch strode past. Hinata’s eyes betrayed a startled kind of pain that hurt Kurenai’s heart to see.

Whether or not Hiashi knew the extent of Team 8’s apparently deeper than strictly platonic affection for one another was unclear. He appeared so disapproving of so many things at any given moment, it was hard to pinpoint which one he was riding Hinata for right now. In all likelihood, if he did know, he probably expected _that_ little shot to be enough to end things. But had he looked back to see how much love she had in her eyes when she touched Kiba’s waist, speaking to him calmly, he might’ve known better.

He also might’ve known better than to think Hinata was still the girl who would lay down and cry when caught in a snare. This was too important to her to let her father take it away; she was quickly fading from frightened to fed up. Maybe he would get what he wanted – a strong, respected leader of a daughter – but it would not be on his terms and not at her expense. She didn’t like being manhandled and she felt – surely! – she was smart enough to not let it happen anymore.

Shino’s hand on her cheek visibly disrupted that train of thought. It was still her birthday and, regardless of Hiashi’s earlier demonstration, it was her other family’s turn to give her a _real_ party.

A blinding grin and some half made plans later, they were all in a bar in their street clothes – and a new necklace and earrings for Hinata, courtesy of her lovers. There were quite a few people here, aside from the group that came to dote on Hinata – it made for a noisy scene.

Hinata actually seemed to like this kind of chaos, Shino noticed. When she was the reason people were together, but not the sole focus of everyone’s attention. And with Kiba and Naruto in the same room, _tipsy_ nevertheless, it would’ve been hard to keep center stage even if she’d wanted it. But as it was, she was more than content to sit between Shino and Neji, laughing enough for both of them and refereeing only when really necessary.

Eventually, Hinata wound up getting slung around the floor in what was Naruto’s bizarre attempt at dancing. She kept up, though, wearing the concerned little smile she reserved for situations where she was certain this fun was going to get someone hurt. It wasn’t until Naruto spun her into Kiba’s waiting arms that he seemed to realize this mysterious guy she was dating – ‘SK’, Sakura told him softly when he asked– wasn’t there. He started to ask Hinata but then Sasuke had a hold of him, giving him the face that said he was being incredibly dense again. He was going to pick a fight just for the sport of it, until he caught sight of Shino moving across the floor.

Shino who _didn’t even dance_ that Naruto had _ever_ seen, moving onto the dance floor and pressing against Hinata when she reached back for him without even looking. The bug nin flushed a little more than alcohol could explain when she tipped her head back so their cheeks were pressed together. His hands found her hips in a familiar slide that made Sakura’s eyebrows skyrocket. Though more subdued than his two partners, that simple connection seemed to be enough encouragement to get Shino to move with them.

Though Kiba saw the exact moment Naruto’s mouth dropped open as the dots started to connect themselves in his head, he was more concerned with the hole getting bored into his skull from the opposite direction. He looked up from where Hinata was twisting happily in his arms to meet Neji’s gaze. Neji had always been a mellow drunk; sitting as far off from the noise as possible and crowd watching, though Tenten always found him anyway. It was hard to look threatening with someone’s hand slowly creeping up your shirt, but Neji gave it a solid effort. Kiba fought back the urge to smirk just to be a piece of shit, instead meeting his gaze evenly and giving a small nod.

Neji, even after all the two of them had been through, was extremely devoted to his cousin. He felt he owed her as many years of honest love as he’d given her years of the misplaced hatred of his childhood. In all their minds, Hinata was basically Neji’s baby sister. If Kiba managed to fuck this up, he’d wind up getting the ass-kicking of his life, message received. He didn’t know why _Shino_ didn’t get this special edition stink eye, but then again, Neji and Shino had that aloof mysterious air in common. Maybe they’d just exchanged a glance in passing and that was all they’d needed.

Whatever the case, that exchange from across the room seemed to be enough for Neji who nodded back, turning his focus to Tenten so intently that Kiba immediately knew to look away. It was just as well too, because then he was able to brace for Naruto to crash into the trio a few minutes later – stage whispering conspiratorially that they could’ve just told him they were a “ _clusterfuck_ ” before, he wasn’t going to judge! Sasuke looked like he’d expressly told Naruto not to say that and wasn’t going to intervene when Kiba started in on him even if it came to blows. Instead, he turned to Hinata who was watching the two fondly from Shino’s arm.

Sasuke had never spared Hinata much thought in all honesty, but he had to have a certain amount of affection for anyone who loved Naruto as purely and devotedly as she did. But even beyond that, there was just something very sweet about Hinata. Seeing her now, happy and in the arms of someone – two someones, even – who loved her, was hopelessly endearing. He felt her look to him when he turned to leave, but he didn’t look back until he returned, a birthday cake shot in each hand. He even gave her a small smile, which – though she’d never had it for him the way the other girls did – made her flush as she took the offered drink, thanking him with an equally tiny grin.

Later that evening, after everyone had said their goodbyes – via warm hugs and near-miss cheek kisses and promises to meet again sooner – Hinata turned in a circle, laughing to herself. She was a little too tipsy to want to walk through the halls the Hyuuga Complex; she’d make it to her room fine, but she’d feel like a criminal the whole time. The House of Eyes was not the place to walk with even _slightly_ unsteady feet, not when people were already looking for you to fuck up. Neji knew this too, and judging by his grip on Tenten’s waist, had no intention of going anywhere she couldn’t. They shared a glance, all at once saying “ _I’ll be fine_ ” and “ _have fun_ ” before turning to their respective parties.

Shino’s house was closest and none of them felt like walking any further than necessary. It was late and they were getting to the sleepy phase of being drunk and Kiba had been curious about how all three of them would fit in one bed, anyway.

As it was, the position they found themselves in wasn’t exactly what Shino would call “fitting”, but he wasn’t so cold as to kick them out. Not when everyone was warm and close and telling silly stories until they fell asleep.

Also, waking up to Hinata curled into his side and Kiba sprawled over the two of them was exactly as heartwarming as it sounded. Even if in all honesty, he woke up because Hinata’s face suddenly jerked _away_ from his side as she hurriedly asked the time. When he answered that it was just after sunrise, she asked for a notepad – which Kiba reached back and snagged off the dresser with surprising accuracy for not having looked up at all.

Shino saw the scheme in her eyes, even though she was only half awake, as she scribbled something before throwing the paper back onto the dresser. That kind of challenge was a dangerous look on the face of kind people; it meant Hinata thought she was about to win a fight she hadn’t even started yet. Someone was in a lot of trouble. He started to ask her about it, but then her face was back in his ribs and he was more inclined to just turn and lace their legs together.

It was too early for strategic thinking anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

[She ruled for nearly a year before she broke her own crown.]

They asked before they even arrived what her father thought of this whole thing. She told them, airily, she hadn’t asked his opinion on the matter.

It was a jarring thing, to be standing here now; Team 8 back in the Hyuuga complex, dressed in their bests and looking at their girl standing up at the front of the room. She looked beautiful in her formalwear, as always, but unlike the previous time she’d taken center stage, she looked _confident_. Standing tall with her head held high, regarding the crowd with the prudent and poised gaze of someone much older. Of someone who was expecting to be offered bullshit, but would be taking exactly _none_ of it.

It was a look mirrored in the face of Neji, who stood tall beside her, just as proudly.

Of course, this day had been long in the making. Hinata knew she was an heiress from the moment she was old enough to understand the concept. It had always been something she dreaded; becoming a sour, stern old person like her father in charge of other sour, stern old people. Or worse, never becoming anything at all and being disowned from the very people she’d spent her whole life trying to prove her worth to. Not a very bright future to look forward to; even with her vow to do her best with every breath, in everything she did, there was always that _doubt._ She’d done things, she’d done _great_ things and she knew it – but she’d never heard any of that from Hiashi. As far as Hiashi was concerned, she was still the same little girl Neji had beaten into the ground when they were children. In Hiashi’s eyes, she had never been strong enough, and in the end, Hiashi would be the one deciding her fate.

Maybe he thought forcing her to take the helm would teach her who she had to become; how cold and cutting one had to be to keep a whole clan in line. Maybe he should’ve known that Hinata, who had spent a lot of her life terrified and being rescued from corners she’d gotten backed into, still _hated_ being backed into corners. It’d taken years and years of tears for her to learn to fight her way out, to become the ever-growing master of herself and her capabilities that she was today. But her team had taught her – right from the jump – that she didn’t have to do it alone; that was the whole point of working as a team.

And as she stood, looking out at the majority of her family as well as the few select guests, she was reminded, yet again, of why this had to be a team effort. It wasn’t the fear of going from a shinobi to the active leader of a clan, though that was definitely a factor. It was more about how she could look out and see the rift within her family – Branch and Main, away from each other even upon being called to the same open-doors meeting.

If Hiashi wanted her to lead a clan, she wanted to lead _one_ clan. There were so many underlying issues, many stemming from even _before_ the infamous “Hyuuga Affair” that nobody was dealing with, that it was leaving them wide open for internal disputes. There was hatred within the house, spawned from a long line of pain and fear. Branch was not speaking and Main was not listening; both out of the fear of the collapse of the structure that had led them for generations. The structure that had caged and divided them for generations.

Until this toxic ideal of one half of the family being more important, more deserving of respect was gone, there couldn’t be a united family – there would always be too much discontent. She wasn’t so bold as to think this would happen in her life time, but it was something that had to be established as a long term goal. Until then, if there were to be two houses, there would have to be _two_ representatives of the Hyuuga Clan.

Neji always had an air of stinted royalty about him; the mind of a chess master always twenty steps ahead. A natural leader forced to hold his tongue and follow someone who distained him for his blood, Branch blood. Though he had proven time and time again that he was one of the strongest members of the Hyuuga Clan and was _damn_ dedicated to it, even after it so maliciously scarred him.

So of course, since the beginning, he’d lead by her side. She recited meetings for him, discussing the content before delivering their joint decision. He had a knack for strategic planning as to where she was better at diplomacy and peace keeping. They wanted to be sure they worked well together, and through what had been a _very_ busy year (as was surely the plan), they had. And Hinata had made her name as leader, and now she was making her decision.

Until they were at a point where they could equally be represented by one leader, Neji and Hinata would be the joint leaders of the families, leaders of _The_ Family. They faced the crowd, standing side by side and looking quite pleased with themselves as the group murmured ponderingly amongst itself.

Hiashi looked far from pleased with either of them, Hinata least of all. There was a quite sort of rage simmering in his eyes, like he wanted to cross the floor and slap her directly in her mouth. But the murmurs coming from the crowd kept him in place. What had first sounded like shocked confusion, was slowly morphing into tentative consideration. The majority of the people here, sounded _positive_ about the proposition more than disturbed; the sounds of people who were hesitant, but not unwilling to accept what they were being offered. He could not speak up, unless to call for his daughter to be removed from power altogether. But when Neji called for the family’s votes of favor and hands in the room started to raise, a sharp shout of “ _aye_ ” following each one, Hiashi knew that would not go over either. There weren’t enough people on his side; by swaying her clan, Hinata had pulled him face first into the trap he set for her and he was _livid_.

A younger Hinata might’ve cowered under his glare, but the Hinata that was now a budding clan co-leader just grinned at him mercilessly. Sakura, throughout their new friendship, had taught her polite scorn well.

Even Hokage Kakashi, standing at the back with the rest of the non-Hyuuga guests (as per his own request), was as amused as he was impressed. He couldn’t help but smile at her, giving an approving nod when she shot a glance in his direction. The immediate excitement in her eyes made him chuckle; what an interesting girl Kurenai had raised, the woman now standing beside him smirking like a proud mother lioness.

The other members of Team 8 were shining with a fair amount of pride as well, staring up at their best friend like she lit the sun. When the meeting adjourned, there was a bit of a bustle about the new reigning clan leaders, but still, they waited for her until she was free. When the crowd finally thinned and Neji left her side, she turned to grin at them. They felt her excitement, her victory coursing through them as well.

Hinata may not have truly felt like a princess, but maybe that had been for the best; she couldn’t be a princess. Because, right then, when she strode towards them, eyes bright and shoulders back, they felt she had always really been better suited as a queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the thing between Branch House and Main House is supposed to be more complicated than that, but let’s pretend it’s that simple for the sake of… simplicity. Yeah.


	4. Chapter 4

[They never meant to be a weapon against her.]

Ino wasn’t really all that mean, Sakura would’ve insisted if asked before. It was just that Ino didn’t always _think_ about _other_ people before she said things. Especially not when she was drunk; which she was, very much so, right now.

This was usually how she spent evenings after bad dates or break ups; dressing up and dragging Sakura bar hopping. Not particularly because Sakura _liked_ tears in her beers, but because Sakura would almost always say yes. Ino had a flock of younger girls that would come at her beck and call, but it was Sakura that she came to when she knew she was going to have to talk specifics instead of just shading to girls who didn’t know the people she was talking about.

Though Sakura wasn’t entirely sure when she became the Emergencies Only Friend, she did actually still care for Ino. They’d built each other when they were young and as adolescents, helped each other through the heart break of loving a man who couldn’t love them back the same way. Admittedly, Sakura had moved on a bit more gracefully than her blonde counterpart, but she still couldn’t fault her. She’d learned a lot about pain in the past few years and knew Ino was still slugging through feeling instead of working her way out into something different. She wasn’t there yet. But Sakura was a patient friend and wanted to see what Ino looked like when she was standing on solid ground again. She would wait for her.

She would sit at this table until Ino finished what should really _, really_ be her last sake and took her home. Right now, she was playing with Ino’s hair as she laid with her head on her arms, bitter as always about the latest fall through of her love life. They’d had several variants of this conversation before, and Sakura had gotten good at answering her friend honestly without really paying attention to specifics. Somebody had asked for something completely reasonable that Ino wasn’t willing to do and the whole thing had blown up. It was a familiar tale, one that Sakura knew better than to try and suggest a fix for – “ _please come talk to someone_ ” had been met with a month of unbearably angry silence – and as such, was resigned to listen to yet again.

And so she ate her peanuts until Ino finished her drink, taking the menu away before she could order another. Ino refused to be propped up even as she staggered out onto the street in her heels.

They hadn’t made it to the end of the block before she started in on “ _that fucking Hyuuga_ girl” again.

Sakura had yet to figure out how to avoid this conversation entirely as she would like to. She really actually liked Hinata; her meekness helplessly charming and her hidden grit continually shocking. They met regularly over tea these days, talking quietly about their lives, the happy parts and even the parts less so. They could pass afternoons in the thoughtful kind of stillness that was usually only shared between old, close friends. They _were_ close friends now; she wouldn’t deny it even to appease Ino’s ego and that seemed to be enough ammunition for the blonde to unload on her.

Sighing deeply, Sakura was beginning to reach the end of her patience for this night. Especially when Ino stumbled and Sakura was the only thing keeping her from a broken nose. She could drag her the rest of the way if she really needed to, _carry_ her if she was feeling kind. She felt the strong urge to just _do_ it, because Ino was already starting a full-on temper tantrum in the middle of the street. It was too late for this shit.

Ino snatched her arm away from Sakura, landing flat on her ass with a frustrated shriek. She was pretty and smart and she was fun; she was a _catch_ , but she was still _fucking lonely_. Hinata had _two_ boyfriends and she couldn’t even get one!

Sakura started to comment that it was probably because Hinata wasn’t falling apart at the seams, but Ino was past listening.

Was it because she was bustier? Because Ino was _hot_ as to where Hinata was _cute_ if one was feeling kind. Sasuke turning out to be _gay_ was one thing, but two supposedly _not gay_ guys – one of whom was, or had at some point been, _clearly_ attracted to her – choosing _Hyuuga_ over Ino? What was this world honestly even coming to? She was going to die alone and it was no fair!

Ino was getting hysterical and they were starting to get looks from the other people passing by. Sakura was just about to snap at her to get a grip and just sleep it off when the one thing that could change this little rant from annoying to catastrophic came around the corner.

The Lord Hiashi Hyuuga himself.

Blood draining from her face, Sakura quickly knelt in front of her friend, covering her hands as she pleaded with her to just _be quiet_.

It wasn’t exactly a _secret_ that Hinata was in a less-than-strictly-platonic relationship with her other teammates, but it still seemed to be information retained to their graduating class, their circle of friends. Kurenai had to know, she thought, but she would be just as invested in keeping quiet as they all were. Hinata had been going through enough as the new leader of the Hyuuga clan, she didn’t need to have her father start in on her again. Because Sakura sincerely doubted Lord Rodupizass knew anything about the extent to which Hinata loved Shino and Kiba. This was a game of appearances, it always had been. Hinata had gotten very good in the past few years at appearing unfazed by the advances of young men (few and far between though they were).

She’d disclosed once, with a dismayed sort of glee, that her family had _praised_ her ability to remain neutral in the throes of her youth. They thought it to be a token of a good leader that she could set her personal feelings aside, avoid the distractions of having a lover. They’d both laughed at the absurdity of that, of how little Hinata’s family actually paid attention to her life outside the compound.

_If only they knew, if only!_

…It’s better that they don’t.

Hiashi was already angry enough with the stunt she and Neji had pulled; Ino didn’t need to feed him anymore ammunition.

Yet still, Sakura felt his attention snap to them when Ino asked, in a haze of tears, why Sakura liked Hinata so much anyway. Sakura was petting her face as she gently reminded her that she liked Ino, _too, stupid, come on, let’s go._ Hiashi had slowed his pace as he approached them, but Ino didn’t seem to notice. She was still caught up on how much _fun_ she was, even if she was a _little_ dramatic! Hinata’s family was a fucking _mess_ , but it wasn’t even the _fun_ kind of drama, it was just _sad_. Ino didn’t have any of that baggage, even her family doesn’t give a shit who she gets on with.

“ _I mean like, her dad would lose his shit if he knew she was fucking the dog whore_ and _the bug frea-._ ”

Sakura had started talking over her as soon as she registered where that was going, but even when she finally just clamped a hand over her mouth, she knew it was too late. Hiashi was frozen midstride behind her.

Ino’s head snapped up at his voice, sounding dark and enraged when he barked out a question. Her eyes went wide, but Sakura didn’t let her speak.

Tugging her to her feet, Sakura started rambling something about Ino being drunk and not knowing what she was talking about. There was a tense moment where Hiashi just towered over them as if trying to impose them to speak with his presence alone. But Sakura just smiled at him, digging her nails into Ino’s arm where she stood dizzily beside her. She wasn’t afraid of him, wouldn’t be intimidated by his haughtiness; Ino was drunk and rambling, that was all there was to it, have a good night, _sir_.

Though her stomach did drop when his face swapped from incensed to calculating; he wasn’t even seeing them anymore. He turned away without so much as another word, walking briskly back the way he came.

She cursed under her breath at the same moment Ino turned and threw up into a bush. It didn’t matter whether Hiashi believed her or not; he’d found a thread and intended to pull it. Neji and Hinata were about to wind up in the middle of a shit storm, all because Ino was a lousy drunk. She hauled Ino upright and bustled down the street, praying she could reach Hinata before she was blindsided.

Ino was silent under Sakura’s castigations until she reached her house. Sakura was helping her up the steps when she realized she might have to change her mind about how mean Ino actually was.

The only thing she had to say before promptly blacking out on her couch was, “ _Maybe I’ll have a shot with Kiba again… if her dad breaks them up._ ”

-

They always got a few looks when they were together.

Though they did their best to ignore most of them, Team 8 always _noticed_ when someone was watching them. They were one of the best sensory perception teams in the Land of Fire, and they didn’t get that title by not detecting when eyes were on them. They always noticed. Sometimes they were just curious glances; Kiba insisted it was because they were just so _gorgeous_ people couldn’t help it. They even occasionally had people look at them with the awe with which many civilians regarded shinobi. On date nights, when they held hands or kissed each other’s cheeks, sometimes the looks were confused or pitying if they misunderstood the situation. But for every stray glance they received, it actually wasn’t very often that they were regarded with active distain.

That was what made today different.

Shino and Kiba were walking Hinata home, same as they had done plenty of times for _years_ now, but today they could feel the tension in the air. From the moment they’d gotten within a block of the Hyuuga complex, they’d started getting ugly looks. People who normally nodded politely or _wholly ignored them_ were glaring at them, before turning away in disgust. Eventually, Hinata stopped walking completely when one of the Hyuuga’s attendants – whom she was exceptionally fond of – walked past without so much as a word to her. Shino looked around without moving, taking in the way the conversations had gone quiet and everyone was staring at them like they were a freak show. Akamaru was growling from beside him as Kiba grew tense; someone had uttered something too soft for the others to catch, but Kiba had _exceptional_ hearing and was about to take someone’s throat out with _his teeth_. Hinata caught him by the arm before he could lunge across the street, demanding to know who spoke even as the crowd flinched away from him. He was in no mood to calm down, even when she stepped in front of him, whispering to him sharply that they didn’t even know what was going on.

The two both turned around towards the gate of the Hyuuga complex when Shino stated plainly that Neji would certainly tell them.

Neji was hustling towards them looking stressed and unsettled, which was saying a lot for a guy whose face was usually a select few shades of neutral. They could practically see the grey hair sprouting by the time he reached them, grabbing Hinata by the arm and turning on a dime. Shino and Kiba didn’t even have time to ask what was wrong before Neji turned to them, looking not _accusing_ exactly, but definitely reproving. He whispered something that made Hinata go white as a sheet, the wide eyed shock in her face mirrored on Kiba’s.

She didn’t have to tell him he couldn’t follow her, couldn’t go and fight this for her this time. She just gave the two of them a worried, pleading look that rooted them to the spot before ushering her cousin alongside her, back to the main house. Shino immediately turned to Kiba, waiting until he manage to get out the words he was already braced for.

It still made him wince when Kiba finally managed to say, “ _Hyuuga knows. The motherfucker is using us as leverage._ ”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, more oversimplifications of complex situations. Please suspend your disbelief!   
> (Also, more dialogue because it needed it to work. My little experiment fell through.)

[Her voice was a weapon.]

All the voices in the room died as soon as she opened the door.

She was surprised to find there was a fairly sizable crowd here, most of them older members of the Main House. They all looked to her, gazes varying from guilty surprise to self-righteous distain. Her father, standing at the head of the meeting, was the only one who seemed pleased to be there. She could tell by the self-assured look in his eyes, he intended to be her undoing with this whole debacle. This was an old king making his last-ditch effort to dethrone the woman that had taken over; whoever stood with her, be damned. He was going to humiliate her for even having this _appalling_ point of exploit.

Hiashi considered that perhaps he hadn’t raised her well enough, raised her to _fear_ him enough. But then again maybe nobody would’ve been able to. Normal women, even _plebian_ women, had the self-respect to not tromp about with any suitor that looked on her kindly. Hinata was clearly not a normal woman; she’d brought this public disgracing on herself. There was a lesson she needed to learn here, one that – as her father – Hiashi would bear the burden of teaching.

Hinata tried not to betray her fear. She’d spent so long learning to stand upright in her father’s presence, she wouldn’t be made to cower now that she’d finally made something of herself. He didn’t say more than her name when they locked eyes. She didn’t grace him with response immediately, just squaring her shoulders and regarding him calmly. He wanted her to dissolve before him and she would not give him the satisfaction.

A small tic crossed his cheek, but other than that he gave nothing away, “I suppose you’ve been _informed_ as to why we’re here.” He said as if a _true_ leader would’ve known about this secret meeting before it was underway.

“Yes,” She replied coolly, though she let her eyes betray her annoyance, “For some odd reason you’ve taken a vested interest in my personal life…”

She was half expecting to get a scoff at that, but was entirely unsurprised by the furious shock in her father’s face. Yes, yes, how dare she have-…

“The _gall_ to make light of this.” Hiashi growled, he motioned at the people gathered in the room, “Years, _decades_ of this clan being lead with honor and pride right up until _you_.” He hissed, “There was already a question of your strength, but now you’ve called your _discipline_ , the entire basis of your _moral standing_ into question!”

“My moral standing has not changed at all,” Hinata answered calmly, though that wasn’t entirely true. She supposed she might’ve gawked at the idea of having two significant others before, but then again, she would’ve gawked at the idea of a significant other at all. Naruto had always been some unattainable hero in her mind, even in the beginning; it no longer hurt to realize there was no real future with him, not the way she’d dreamed. So perhaps it had changed her, but they’d all changed after the war, after waking up from the infinite Tsukuyomi. How could they not have?

And really, all he’d ever wanted of her was to become somebody stronger than the little girl he’d repeatedly watched get beaten, and she _was_. Though she’d refused to let this position turn her into the kind of person her father was, even she had noticed a bit more firmness in herself. She rarely stuttered these days – unless Kiba intentionally flustered her – and found herself less afraid in the face of conflict. Wounding prides, she found, was sometimes a necessary practice to keep the peace, and she did so unflinchingly when she had to. So yes, perhaps her moral ground had changed, but that had very little to do with her lovers. They’d been fixtures in her life long before she rose to this position.

She hesitated to mention that, though. She could imagine it coming across as tossing the information in his face to be spiteful, which of course, it partly would be. She didn’t owe them an explanation for her relationships that didn’t affect them, they had no right to demand one. So yes, anything she said to that effect would be taken as sass. And, of course, Hiashi would just respond by accusing her of being deceitful and untrustworthy.

So she hesitated but then said “This is by no means a recent development.” anyway because she needed to prove something. _Her family_ needed her to prove something, they just weren’t sure what. But apparently, they thought they’d figure it out by watching her get scolded by her father.

“Excuse me?” Hiashi replied, incredulous.

“They’ve had this… _arrangement_ ,” Neji said carefully, for once the one trying to avoid stepping directly on a nerve, “For quite some time now.”

But that just seemed to rile Hiashi up more, towering over his nephew who looked more tired that threatened, “You _knew_ about this?”

“You were the only ones that didn’t know,” Hinata noted absently, mostly for the effect of drawing her father’s ire back on herself. If they were going to have this fallout because of her, it should be _with_ her. Her whole life, he’d been disappointed and distant with her, the child of not even the slightest regard. If he was going to finally address her, he would have to do it to her face; no more silence and no more flinching. She looked at him unmoved, “You’re also the only ones that seem to care.”

The words had their intended effect, her father whipping towards her, eyes wide with anger, “Care?? Of course I _care_ , you little fool!” He motioned violently at her, “Because I will not stand by and have our clan leader paraded around like a common _whore!_ ”

There was a time when Hinata might’ve been horrified at an accusation like that, immediately flailing to defend herself and her virtue. She might’ve even begged for forgiveness, attesting to the chastity and properness of her relationship. Maybe she might’ve even lied, denied the whole thing as a tasteless rumor to spare herself the shame of an argument. But as it was, it had been a long time since she was properly afraid of her father, a long time since her self-worth had been so low as to accept that level of disrespect from anyone.

Hinata’s temper failed all at once, “ _That’s enough!”_

In all honesty, it seemed to startle everyone in the room. Neji hadn’t ever think she had a temper – she was mild in every facet of her being, her voice hardly ever above a whisper. But there she stood, unshrinking under her father’s gaze, pissed as she’d ever been.

“Whatever you may feel about the nature of my relationship with my teammates, I _will not_ be disrespected,” Though her voice receded from the shout it’d risen to, she spoke with just as much intensity, “I’m an adult and one of the heads of this clan. Keep your emotions in check and _speak to me as such_.”

Neji bit back the urge to look impressed, instead turning his gaze over to where Hiashi was, though clearly livid, schooled his features to a careful disapproving neutral.

“You are not making _adult_ decisions,” He responded with less bite than before, but sans any remorse, “Let alone the decisions of a _leader_.”

“I have not made any decisions on behalf of this clan that you are not aware of. And the choices I make _for myself_ are not hurting _anyone_ , you, myself, or otherwise. Certainly not if you just found out,” She turned to the group, noting a number of them had averted their gazes, “What makes you think this is something you have a right to control? Something that calls my competence into question?”

“Until today, you expressed no doubt of Hinata’s leadership,” Neji added reproachfully, “She and I have been doing our best on behalf of this clan and after the initial uncertainty you’d never expressed any discontentment.”

He and Hinata had been moving mountains together, within the clan itself as well as making the title _distinguished_ mean something again. They had always been respected, but it was the side-eyed kind of respected that followed distrust. Everyone had secrets, every clan had to have secrets. But the tension within the factions of the Hyuuga family couldn’t be kept a secret, not when Neji carried the proof around on his face. They were trying and they were getting somewhere.

Though he might not understand his cousin’s feelings – he couldn’t imagine sharing Tenten to save his life – he loved and trusted her still. Her love life, quite frankly, was relevant only in the abstract, because they were friends. It came up over lunch, not when they were negotiating treaties.

“Explain how her personal life changed that.” He continued, genuinely curious.

“It’s indecent!” Somebody chimed in on cue.

Hinata’s brow dipped, “It’s not your choice.”

“You all choose what this _clan_ does,” Neji added, “Not what we as individuals do.”

“ _You_ represent this clan,” Hiashi snapped, “That is what you signed up for. What you _do_ represents this clan!”

“Exactly,” One of the others barked, “What will the other clans think?”

“You know precisely what they will think,” An older woman added crossly, “She’ll be known as a _temptress_ at best.”

“You would rather have her be known as a _coward_?” Neji snapped, a bit more aggressively than he meant to, “As someone who rolls over in the face of the _slightest_ instance of ridicule!?” His tone was so severe that any other comments were ripped out by the roots before they had the chance to be voiced.

This time, he didn’t quite look at anyone as he spoke, keeping his gaze carefully on the far wall. “Love is a brave choice,” He muttered, mostly to himself it seemed, before refocusing on the group, “If she were to deny these rumors, it would just show weakness of character. It’d imply she was the kind of person who would fold and betray her allies if pressed.”

Hinata’s lips twitched towards a frown, “And even if I were to, do you honestly think anyone would believe me?” She looked at them evenly, “My own family didn’t even hesitate to accuse me.”

“The strongest thing she could do for herself, and this clan since you’ve made it your business,” Neji added disdainfully, cutting his eyes to his uncle, “Is to stand tall and carry on as always. Show that she is stronger than some _pathetic attempt_ at a smear campaign.”

Hiashi looked close to coming unhinged, “That is not-…”

“Also,” Neji continued blithely, “In its own odd way, it would be a point of unity. What other clans could claim to be as united as we?” He cocked an amused eyebrow at Hinata who at least had the presence of mind to look sheepish, “A team who wouldn’t be separated, even by their own families… And seeing as to how it isn’t any official form of treaty, no other clans would find a need to feel threatened.”

“This is not the same as a political courtship!” Cried an old woman, “Are you honestly suggesting we _endorse_ this?”

“He’s suggesting you let it be and have some dignity about it,” Hinata answered calmly.

Hiashi glared at her, “Have some _dignity_ about your _adultery_?”

“I am not an adulterer,” Hinata replied firmly, “There is no deceit between us. I find it no harder to be faithful to two people than to one.” When she got nothing more than some dismayed looks for that, Hinata shook her head with a sigh, looking away.

Holding this position had come to mean more to her than she really thought it would. The first thing fueling her, besides dedication to her family, was pure spite. Her father had been mean-spirited in forcing her title on her, and she wanted nothing more than to prove she wouldn’t be broken for it. She succeeded, but more than that, she and Neji had _excelled_. They were doing well to make names for themselves in Konoha’s history and well on the way to resolving some of their internal family problems. She was doing well with what she had, she was _happy_ here with what she had. She didn’t want to have it taken away… but she would not sacrifice the loves of her life. Whatever else she would do, giving up on the only people who had always had faith in her was not an option.

She clenched her jaw and ignored the aching in her throat. Maybe she would cry later, but for now she forced herself to hold her peace. Nobody would catch her if she fell right now. Facing her family, she made eye contact with everyone who would look back, unashamed but with fear twisting her core. She let none of it show in her face as she finally spoke, “If you believe I am unfit to rule, then say so. This is not a dictatorship. I won’t go against your wishes, no matter how misguided.” She lowered her head when Neji snapped to look at her, alarmed. “You will decide the image you want this clan to have.” She finished softly.

“All in favor,” Hiashi called before Neji could interject.

The room was awash with silence for a moment before the “ayes” started to trickle in. Hinata stood with a tight stomach, watching the hands slowly raise.

All in all, she didn’t have to watch for very long.

Four hands out wound up in the air out of the thirty some people in the room. Her father, stunned to the core, being one of them.

“That’s…” Neji blinked in relief and shock, “That’s a no then?”

The crowd shifted, murmuring amongst itself.

“ _You young people._ ”

“ _Engaged to two boys, I could hardly handle the one._ ”

“ _Hey, it’s been working so far, maybe they’re on to something._ ”

“ _So what do you say? She can do it, think we could?_ ”

“ _We are far too old for that nonsense! Act your age!_ ”

Neji and Hinata watched the exchanges with a growing sense of relief and amusement. Extremely unusual in regards to emotions spawned from their family members, but hey, they would take it, they could get used to it. Neji could see the hesitant smile dancing behind Hinata’s eyes when they looked to each other; he gave away nothing more than a slight quirk of his eyebrow.

They turned away when one of their cousins approached, taking Hinata’s hands, “Lady Hinata, you two haven’t lead us astray thus far. If your relationship does come to an unclean end, though I do not wish it,” She added hurriedly, “I do not doubt your ability to hold composure.”

“You say that now.” Another cousin scoffed.

Though someone else commented with a shrug, “But perhaps having Neji to steady the outcome was a good idea after all.”

“How unusual…” An older man commented, with a tilted head and an amused smile, “Only time will tell.”

The roomed dissolved into a comfortable murmur, the kind which Hinata was certain normal families had over dinner. Everyone was talking and many conversations were swerving around towards other topics; people were smiling. Regardless of how it’d started, this was the biggest group the Hyuuga family had been this relaxed in for as long as Neji or Hinata could remember. Hinata was nearly tearing up.

They didn’t even have to look to each other as they bowed together before their family, causing the room to go quiet, “Thank you for continuing to have faith in us.”

By the time the rest of the clan had bowed in return, Hiashi had seen enough. He was _blistering_ as he spun to storm out the doors.

“Father,” Hinata called softly, as she stood upright. She knew he would hear her, but she had spoken softly enough that he could pretend he hadn’t if he really chose to. She didn’t get much satisfaction out of the fact that he didn’t, stopping in the middle of the walk way just outside.

Everyone in the room held still as he turned vaguely over his shoulder, not bothering to face her or even meet her gaze. He had been defeated, his last chess piece toppled. Even if he wouldn’t shame himself enough to fight this anymore, he was not about to be lectured by his daughter.

He stood there, his posture giving off enough that she understood the unspoken “ _what?_ ” he wanted to snap at her.

Though she expected as much, she still felt the urge to bow her head, do _something_ to make him address her like she deserved it, like she had pleased him. She only gave into the urge to look away from him, “You taught me to hold so much grace…” She mused though she cut herself off before she said “ _in defeat_ ”.

_Where had that grace gone? Why couldn’t he pretend the way he’d made her learn to?_

Even without the final words, he understood her point. The visible half of his face twisted in disgust, before he could turn away. There was a second where she thought he wouldn’t respond, but then he shook his head, “I didn’t teach you much of anything, did I?” He muttered bitterly.

Hinata just frowned, turning away with a sigh, “No, I suppose you didn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heading inspiration: Weapon by Bastile & Angel Haze


	6. Chapter 6

[A technicality still counts as a win.]

It was much later in the night when she finally managed to get everything settled with her family. The main council may have “pardoned” her in regards to her relationship with Kiba and Shino but that spoke nothing of the cajoling she had to do with everyone else. Neji had insisted that the rest of the family would follow the council’s lead, that was the entire _point_ of the council, but Hinata wouldn’t listen. They weren’t so large a family that they couldn’t talk to her face to face. She needed their respect, yes, but wanting their favor was not beneath her. So after a series of very similar and slightly arduous conversations, she finally sagged against her bedroom door, alone for the first time in hours. It wasn’t a perfect patch, there was still a fair amount of disapproval, but it was negligible. Something to sniff at on occasion, but to overlook in the grand scheme of things. She was standing safe for now.

Half-way through the motion to start pulling off her clothes and just _go to sleep,_ Hinata froze when she heard mournful howling coming from outside. She ran to throw open her window, already knowing what she was going to see.

Akamaru was sitting atop the wall of the compound, crying at the moon while several guards tried in vain to shoo him away with brooms. She didn’t even take the time to walk around through the hallway, carefully lowering herself out the window. The guards turned when they felt her approaching, instantly appearing frustrated and apologetic, “Lady Hinata, it won’t…”

“He’s fine,” She assured them, smiling tiredly up at the dog who looked more than content now that he could see her. She reached up a hand, “Come down from there, please.”

The dog jumped down just short of landing on top of her, licking her hands and wining at her until she petted him, “Ok, ok,” She laughed when he jumped up and put his paws on her shoulders, “If I take you home will you let my family sleep?” He yipped happily and dove to hoist her onto his back. She scarcely had time to shout to the guards that everything was fine and she’d be back shortly before Akamaru was bounding away.

The door flew open before she even knocked.

“So??” Kiba exclaimed looking slightly wild eyed as Hinata climbed off Akamaru’s back, “Are we skipping town? Starting a riot?”

“Kiba,” Shino’s sighed exasperatedly, like he hadn’t been wasting away with worry for the last few hours, “Let her in the room before you panic.”

Kiba stepped aside, closing the door behind her, but still rambling in a tizzy, “Are we breaking up? Please say we’re not breaking up.” When she just turned to look at him smiling wearily, his anxiety visibly spiked, “I swear, I’ll fight a motherfucker if I have to, I’ll fight every-…”

He cut off when she suddenly kissed him.

Maybe they would get to a point where Kiba’s heart didn’t try to jump out of his chest every time she touched him, but that wouldn’t be anytime soon. He didn’t even have a good chance to react before she was pulling away, blushed and biting her lip as she grinned at him.

She started to laugh when she took in the flushed shock on his face. Then she started to laugh harder at how this was her life. She had this relationship with these two wonderful, loving, _ridiculous_ boys and her family intended to carry on like they were courting heirs. The image of the three of them standing around awkwardly in the formals while a priest read off some surely unorthodox vows had her giggling into her hands.

“Hinata?” Shino asked, fearing this was some form of hysteria due to some godawful thing that’d happened at the Hyuuga complex. Never the less, he kissed her gently when she leaned down to him, before sitting down and laughing some more.

When she caught her breath, she could only shake her head in shock. She looked between the two of them, bemused and extremely enamored, though her gaze quickly turned sheepish, “I… I think we technically just got engaged?”

Though the perfectly blank looks on their faces tickled her, she held her peace, buckling in for a serious conversation.

“Not...,” Shino started slowly, “Not that I’m not happy about that, but-.”

“How the hell’d we get _engaged_?” Kiba said, confused but fully prepared to go buy a suit if he had to, “I thought we were about to get run out on a rail?”

Reliving the past few hours of her life made them seem a lot less horrifying and a lot more absurd. Yes, there was still the quiet ache in her chest about some of the disgusted looks she’d received, even the ones from her father (from whom she’d expected nothing less). But now she sitting on the floor at her boyfriend’s house, explaining that her family was not out for blood. And in fact wanted her to _actively_ claim them thanks to Neji.

“Basically, it’s a personal allegiance for us to stick together as people,” Hinata ended, tracing her finger around the cup of tea Kiba had brought her.

“So an engagement,” Shino summarized, face neutral in shock. To be quite honest, he’d never let himself ever think about the Next Step, whatever that may be. It unsettled him, not the thought of spending his life with these people, the thought that there was a good chance that wouldn’t come to pass. It wasn’t like with normal couples, who introduced each other to their parents and, for all fighting and disagreement, could still walk down the aisle. There was no aisle for them, there wasn’t a ceremony. There was only hoping none of the powerful people in their lives decided to take action against the small corner of happiness they’d found. Noble and true, they could promise forever, but romanticism would not protect their jobs. This is a better outcome than any of them could’ve hoped for.

Shino was pulled out of his thoughts when Hinata’s hand fell gently on his.

“Yes, something like that.” She agreed softly.

Kiba was laughing as hard as she had been, “Neji wants to make honest men out of us!”

“We’ll have to get rings, then,” Shino commented almost absently, though he smirked as he said it, squeezing Hinata’s hand.

Hinata’s smile was dazzling, a pleased flush settling on her cheeks, “Okay!” She startled when Kiba suddenly kissed her cheek, throwing his arms around the both of them.

“Rings are impractical!” Kiba interjected, leaning to kiss Shino, too, high on his happiness. He made them flop backwards onto the floor with him, grinning wildly, “Yeah, no rings. We should go get matching tats!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! If not or if so, let me know! Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments/concerns/critiques welcome and appreciated!


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